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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., April 24) -- "sweeps" start with two new series in play

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A pair of new prime-time series dawned while D-FW’s four major local TV news operations jockeyed for position on Thursday’s first day of the four-week May “sweeps” ratings competition.

ABC’s loopy medical drama, Black Box, fell off sharply from its Grey’s Anatomy lead-in while CBS’ Bad Teacher came closer to getting a passing grade.

Let’s start from the beginning, with a first-run 7 p.m. episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory again a dominant force in both total viewers (433,179) and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (153,065).

CBS’ The Millers then fell to less than half of Big Bang’s audience in both ratings measurements but still won its 7:30 p.m. slot.

Grey’s Anatomy took over at 8 p.m. with the hour’s top marks in total viewers (241,444) and 18-to-49-year-olds (123,755). Bad Teacher, airing at 8:30 p.m., ran second across the board and drew more 18-to-49-year-olds than The Millers or Fox’s 8 p.m. American Idol results show.

CBS’ Elementary won at 9 p.m. in total viewers and nipped Fox4’s local newscast in the 18-to-49 demographic. Black Box, with 142,026 total viewers and just 26,054 in the 18-to-49 age range, respectively finished third and fourth.

NBC’s one-hour season finale of Parks and Recreation, which has been renewed for next season, ran fifth among 18-to-49-year-olds in the 7 p.m. hour. CW’s competing The Vampire Diaries showed up big -- for a little network -- with third-place finishes from 7 to 8 p.m. in both ratings measurements.

The first day of the sweeps was a day like any other for KTXD-TV’s (Ch. 47) locally produced The Broadcast. The 9 to 11 a.m. edition and its 4 to 6 p.m. repeat again registered “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) in all ratings barometers.

Here are the local news derby results.

Despite little help from Black Box, WFAA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). NBC5 lagged in last place with an even worse lead-in from NBC’s two-hour collection of short films from Saturday Night Live.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added a 5 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. The station tied NBC5 for the most viewers at 5 p.m.

The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

CW33’s locally originated Eye Opener continued to show surprising strength among 25-to-54-year-olds in its 5 a.m. hour before dozing off in the ratings from 6 to 8 a.m. Eye Opener outdrew every station except Fox4 from 5 to 5:30 a.m. and also beat the WFAA8 and CBS11 waker-uppers from 5:30 to 5:45 a.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net